It’s put up or shut up time for pugilists
EVERYBODY loves to win, but who likes losing or who loves a loser?
Certainly, and judging from the back and forth banter that took place in the studios of the National Communications Network (NCN) yesterday, tonight’s Guyana Boxing Board of Control’s (GBBC) five-card professional bouts entitled RAMPAGE at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall will be put up or shut for some of the boxers.
In earlier interviews, both Lennox ‘Too Sharp’ Allen and Kwesi ‘Lightning Struck’ Jones promised to outdo each other and take the World Boxing Council (WBC)/Caribbean Boxing Federation (CABOFE) Super middleweight title. The same can be said for Elton ‘Coolie Bully’ Dharry and Dexter ‘The Kid’ Marques, who will be facing each other in a bantamweight fixture with the winner carting off the WBC/CABOFE title, while Kurt ‘The Best’ Bess and Mitchell ‘Strongman’ Rogers promise to put on a show in their national heavyweight battle.
Edmond De Clou and Winston Pompey are not fighting for a title, but they both have a score to settle, since they both felt that they were victorious in the first encounter which was declared a draw. Ray Sandiford will be making his professional debut against a local journeyman in Cecil Smith.
According to Jones, who is also the national light heavyweight champion and has agreed to step down in weight to face Allen, the present New York State super middleweight champion, this battle, which was described as a titanic one by GBBC president Peter Abdool, will be the best ever in that division in Guyana.
“This will be one of the best, if not the best ever, in the super middleweight category in Guyana. I am pumped and ready for this battle and I will be hitting him harder than he has ever been hit in the ring. I will eat up everything he throws at me.
“He (Allen) is known to be a hard puncher, while I am known as the beast so everything he throws at me I will be eating up, while tiring him out with punches of my own. For me he is no threat, just a stepping stone as I look to take my career forward,” said Jones.
Not to be outdone, Allen warned Jones whose perfect record was made possible through the GBBC’s Friday Night Fight (FNF) card, to turn up in a hungry mood, as he will be serving lots of punches for him to eat.
“You say you will be eating everything I throw at you, so I hope you come in a hungry mood, as I will be serving up lots of punches for you. You will be eating and I will be doing the feeding. In fact, I will be feeding him so much, he won’t get past the fourth round,” stated Allen.
The 25-year-old Allen believes that Jones was confident of a victory, hence he inked his name on the contract to take the fight, but vowed to make him regret doing so, when he is on his way to the canvas in the fourth round.
The hype was transferred to the Marques/Dharry matchup, with Dharry, who recorded a victory over another journeyman in Orland ‘Pocket Rocket’ Rogers, chiding Marques after he was taken past 11 rounds with the same pugilists.
“You boast of going past six rounds, something I have not done yet; still you took 11 rounds with Rogers, a man I humiliated twice. For me, your rounds with Rogers can be compared to shadow boxing since you were not impressive and your words before today are cheap,” said Dharry.
Marques refused to let such words from his more illustrious opponent, who like Allen and Leon ‘Hurry Up’ Moore are being managed by Bob Duffy of Boxing 360, faze him, by letting Dharry know that he knocked ‘Pocket Rocket’ Rogers out the first time they met.
“You fought ‘Pocket Rocket’ twice and up to now you cannot put him on the canvas and in my first fight with him, which was my second professional bout, I had him down there in the 11th round of a 12-round fight.
“You are saying my words are cheap, but tomorrow night (tonight), we will see whose talks are cheap when I am beating you about your body as if you were my son. You will be asking yourself if you are fighting against the referee and the judges instead of me when I am done with you, it will be punches in bunches all over your body,” said Marques.
Like De Clou and Pompey, Bess and Rogers are looking forward to their clash, since to them it will settle the score, since they shared the first two fights they have fought to date.
Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games bronze medallist Sandiford will be making his professional; debut against Cecil Smith in a four-round encounter and according to Sandiford, “this will be a walk in the park for me, he is going down in three.”
As some would say, the talk is over and it’s time for action. Certainly, boxing fans who will be paying their $1 500 for a seat in the stands and $3 000 for a ringside spot can expect a RAMPAGE – the first of two boxing cards scheduled by the GBBC, at the CASH tonight.
Gates will be open from 18:30hrs while tickets will be on sale at the venue from 10:00hrs this morning. The first bell will be sounded at 20;00hrs.